Urban Rivers

During the past 20 or 30 years, cities have re-discovered their waterways.

Most cities started near water.  Rivers powered dams to grind wheat or power lumber mills. Eventually, many of those dams generated electricity for the city residents.

Joining the crowd on the riverbanks, a lot of factories located by the water.  In some cases, it was for transportation of raw materials of finished products.

It happened that way in cities on the Great Lakes and major rivers but even on smaller rivers the liquid highways attracted businesses.

Last week, the city of Elm Grove, near Milwaukee announced it will uncover the creek that goes through the center of their community.  A parking lot and culvert kept the water mostly out of view. The photo I took of the mostly ice covered trickle of water (below) shows a creek without life.  Over the next couple of years, the creek will return to its natural state. Fishery experts expect fish and other aquatic life to return.

You can see in the photos above and below how a living stream brings a city to life.  Waukesha's downtown is a delightful place to shop and eat. A downtown theater offers live entertainment.  Next to the water, apartments are steps away and a bike and walking path bring people close to the living water.


The on-street and off-street parking is free, encouraging a long dalliance in the inviting and quirky area.

My hometown of Janesville is beginning to remove large parking lots that cover two blocks of the Rock River where it passes through the center of the city.

There are many plans to take advantage of the beckoning waves - I'm looking forward to seeing the result on its urban river.